Playing with Dolls
by Shadow 3013
Summary: Heero, Duo, and WuFei all possess fragile souls. Love's decided to deal them a tough hand... What will they do? (1X2X5 shonen-aiyaoislash)
1. Warnings and Disclaimers

Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. It belongs to its creators and owners. I'm just borrowing the boys for a little while. Letting them outside to have some fun, you know.  
  
This story contains shonen-ai/slash. Yaoi, if you know it as such, but it's not graphic enough to be true yaoi, so… Anyways, that means male/male relationships will take placed. If you have a problem with that, don't read this.  
  
And yet again… This wasn't written in chapters, I've just changed it to make it easier to post. Again. It was easier splitting things up this time.  
  
I hope you enjoy this fic. I'll try to update as often as I can. Thanks, and enjoy! 


	2. Part One

"D-2," Heero said detachedly. The table shook.

"Aww man, ya' sunk my battleship!" Duo moaned, slamming his fists down on the table and slumping back in his chair.

"Hn."

"So, how many does that make for you?"

"16 wins. No losses."

"Oi! I just don't see how ya' get so good..."

"You're predictable."

"Am not!"

"Hn."

"Maxwell! What are you doing!?!" WuFei bellowed, his voice furious.

A pair of mischievous amethyst eyes blinked owlishly. A wide grin appeared on the American pilot's face as he twisted quickly around to face the just-opened door.

"Oh, nothing..." Duo replied innocently, his hands behind his back. He was doing a miraculously good job at keeping himself from laughing.

WuFei took hold of the doorframe and easily swung himself over the sitting pilot of Shinigami, landing gracefully behind him. Looking at what Duo had been hiding, WuFei's jaw dropped open.

"What have you done here?" the Chinese pilot yelled, enraged. Behind Duo's back was a pile of shredded clothing, a pair of scissors lying atop the pile. The metal of the tool was tarnished, and the blade looked to be in need of sharpening, but the scissors were still serviceable.

"Well, ya' see... I was in town this morning, buying some cheese puffs and chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream... Did you ever know that Heero really likes that flavor? I was pretty surprised when I found out. I mean-"

"Get on with it, you dishonorable wretch." WuFei growled. Duo shrugged, his grin widening.

"Hmm... Okay. Anyway, as I was trying to say before you so rudely interrupted me, Wu-man..." Duo continued. His eyes were sparkling happily again as he readied himself to dodge the blow he knew would come.

"Don't call me Wu-man. My name is WuFei!" the Chinese pilot spat loudly, obviously straining to keep himself from striking his comrade before he finished his explanation. After all, Duo might actually have an honorable reason for doing something for once... although that wasn't too likely. He did his best to always give him the benefit of a doubt, however, unless the idiot was being blatantly stupid or immoral.

Duo stuck out his tongue, quickly pulling it back into his mouth before the sword-loving pilot decided to slice it off. That would never do; how would he be able to talk without his tongue?

"Yeah, yeah... Sure... Whatever. Like I was saying, I went into town earlier today to grab something to eat. I was hungry again, and there's nothing good in this stupid house. Nothing new there, you know? Anyways... On my way to the store, I saw this little girl sitting on the curb of the street, playing with a beat-up looking old doll. She looked kinda' lonely, so I decided to go over and play with her."

"Playing with dolls now, Maxwell? Don't tell me you're turning into woman," WuFei scoffed. His tone of voice was almost enough upset Duo, but he saw something suspiciously like approval in his friend's eyes.

Duo managed to ignore WuFei's scowl and finished his story. "The girl's doll didn't look that bad, but its clothes weren't much better than dirty rags. I played with the kid for about half an hour or so, and she was really sweet. I was going to buy her some doll clothes, but they were priced way too high, so I decided to make some myself instead." He looked satisfied and slightly smug by the end of his tale.

"Let's see you find something wrong with that, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou." He thought to himself. "After all, charity is an honorable thing, right?"

"You can sew? What a womanly task... And why did you use my clothes?" WuFei still had an I'm better than you are' look on his face, but Duo could tell that he was at least a little bit interested, and slightly less angry.

"I learned how to sew when I was living in a church as a kid. And I didn't use just your clothes..." Duo pointed to another pile of material nearby, and WuFei could recognize clothing scraps from the other four Gundam pilots. He even saw one of the outfits worn by Quatre's Maganacs.

WuFei stared in shock at a few pieces of material he knew had come from one of Heero's outfits. "You surprise me, Duo. I thought you had finally gained enough honor to request our old clothes, rather than stooping to petty theft." He sounded more disappointed than angry.

"Oi, don't be so ready to always assume the worst about me! Even if it is true most of the time... I asked Heero, Trowa, Quatre, and Rashid before I took anything of theirs!" Duo protested, his face bearing an expression of highly over-done insult; he enjoyed being a drama-queen, especially when WuFei was in his audience.

"And they all said yes?" WuFei asked unbelievingly.

"Uh, not exactly..." Duo began. WuFei winced, but was amused in spite of himself, truth be told. He had the feeling that Duo's explanation would be quite interesting. They almost always were.

"Yeah... Uhhm... Ya' see... I only got one Yes', but that one was from Quatre! He said I could have one of his outfits and an old Maganac outfit. And Trowa didn't say anything, so I took that as a yes," the braided pilot explained quickly.

"And Heero?" WuFei asked suspiciously. Duo looked away nervously and shrugged.

"Well... He gave me his usual grunt the first two or three times I asked, and on my fourth try I got an Omae o korosu.' I decided that both responses were multipurpose and he just had to mean yes' at least one of those times... So I waited until he left the room, grabbed an outfit, and ran!"

WuFei sighed and shook his head disapprovingly. "Really, Maxwell... Someday this reckless behavior of yours is going to get you in trouble," he scolded.

Duo shrugged, obviously not too worried about the possibility. "Yeah, probably... But one of you will help me get out of it, right?" he asked, fluttering his eyelashes. WuFei looked quite flustered.

"Depending on others to get you out of trouble is a weakness," the Chinese pilot replied, sounding like he was quoting scripture. Or advice from a cheap fortune cookie, for that matter.

"Oh. So... you wouldn't come save me?" the American asked, sniffling and giving the other pilot his best sad-puppy-dog look. It took a much colder man than WuFei to resist Duo when he got that expression on his face. A much colder man indeed.

"I didn't say that," he protested grudgingly.

Duo's face lit up. "So, you would help me?" he gushed, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course I would. It would be beyond dishonorable to abandon you in a time of need. Companions in a war watch each others' backs," WuFei replied seriously.

A rare moment of silence ensued for a few moments; it wasn't often that Duo was this quiet. When he finally did speak, it wasn't in his normal manner.

"Thanks, WuFei... That really does mean a lot to me, you know," Duo said, his voice not much above a whisper.

WuFei looked at Duo for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Is something wrong, WuFei?" the American asked worriedly. It was strange to not hear WuFei ranting about dishonor and injustice, or womanly displays of emotion.

"Can I help you with your doll clothes?" WuFei asked hesitantly. Duo looked at him and was surprised to find him blushing slightly.

"How cute..." Duo thought to himself. Then, resisting the temptation to latch on to the Chinese pilot, he replied out loud, "Sure. Do you know how to sew?"

"Of course I don't! Why would I--That is.. No. I've never had the need to learn such a womanly skill before,"

Duo's face fell at the 'womanly' jab, and he started to grow angry, but he quickly brightened again when WuFei continued, "But... I'd be willing to learn, if you'd be willing to teach me how." 


	3. Part Two

Fifteen minutes later found Duo and WuFei sitting next to each other on the floor in WuFei's room. Duo was attempting to teach WuFei to sew, and the young man seemed to be following along quite well. Circumstances gave the Gundam pilots no choice but to be quick learners, after all.

"Okay, WuFei, there ya' go... Think ya've got the hang of it yet?" Duo asked.

"I think so," WuFei replied, sounding unsure of himself. Duo grinned.

"Come on, Wu-Man! I'm sure you'll be great at sewing. Go ahead!" the American said encouragingly.

The Chinese pilot stared at the needle in his hand. The look on his face was almost frightened; Duo looked at him and couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" he asked as WuFei glared at him. "You look adorable!"

WuFei blushed hot pink and turned away from his friend. He re-threaded the needle in his hand and shakily pulled it through the material.

"That's right, you're doing fine. Just make sure the stitches stay small and close together," Duo encouraged him, peering over WuFei's shoulder to monitor his progress.

Confident that WuFei would be fine following the simple pattern he had left with him, Duo went back to sewing a fancy, ruffled, black and scarlet dress for the doll. With such colors and style, there could be no mistaking that he had designed the clothes himself.

Everything remained peaceful in the room for a few minutes. Then disaster struck.

"Injustice! Dishonor!" WuFei bellowed angrily, springing to his feet. He glared at the needle he was holding, then at the finger he had just pricked. A tiny drop of bright bred blood was welling up to the surface, seeming to anger him with its mere presence.

"It's fine, WuFei!" Duo protested, struggling to keep himself from laughing. "It's just a pinprick, nothing to worry about!"

"Quiet! Sewing is only for women and weaklings!" WuFei shouted. The smile faded slowly from Duo's face.

"OK, WuFei. Sure. Now just calm down. Give the needle to me and sit down," Duo said evenlyThe sad look lurking in his eyes didn't reach his voice; he was thankful for that.

Grudgingly, WuFei did as he was told. He thrust out his hand, holding the needle for Duo to take it.

"Thank you, WuFei," Duo said quietly. This time, some of what he was feeling was apparent in his tone.

WuFei turned away, a stubborn look on his face. "Stupid American... Getting upset over nothing..." he thought to himself. He ignored his own overreaction to the needle prick; that was different, after all: it was simply the principle of the matter.

Looking over his shoulder, he was concerned by the look on Duo's face. He definitely wasn't acting like his normal, cheerful self anymore... After the silence ensued for over a minute, WuFei started to get truly worried. When a muffled crying sound filled the air, he was worried.

"Duo," he began, turning around to apologize. What he saw made him feel horrible. Beyond horrible, in fact. Duo was slumped over a pile of material scraps, crying into his hands. WuFei had no idea what to do.

"Duo... I'm sorry..." he stammered, looking guilty and confused.

"Go away," Duo muttered, flinching away from his friend.

"Duo, please don't. I'm sorry!" WuFei protested, looking as though he was unsure whether he should try to comfort his friend or not.

"Yeah. Whatever... Now go away and leave me alone," the American said, sniffling.

"Duo, I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say to the long haired young man. "I didn't mean that... That is, you aren't..."

"WuFei, please. Just go away." Duo uncovered his face, revealing the tears streaming down it. He looked both sad and angry, but who the anger was directed at--himself, WuFei, or both--was uncertain, even to Duo himself.

WuFei found himself staring again. This was completely unlike Duo's normal attitude. And it was his own stupid actions that had caused his friend to fall into such a state.

After a few more moments, WuFei decided that Duo was serious: he really just wanted to be left alone. WuFei sighed and took a step back.

"All right, Duo... I'll leave you alone now. But I really am sorry. I wasn't thinking," WuFei apologized quietly. With that, he turned and left the room quietly, glancing back one last time as he closed the door.

Duo looked up after the door was firmly closed. Sniffling, he wiped the tears off of his face.

"And the joker mask crumbles. Stupid Duo..." he whispered to himself. He sighed and began to gather up his sewing supplies. He didn't want to be in WuFei's room when the other boy came back. 


	4. Part Three

"WuFei, you are an idiot," the Chinese pilot growled to himself angrily. He was swiftly walking away from his room, unsure of where he was going but knowing that he needed to leave Duo alone.

A few minutes of walking found the Chinese pilot in one of the several gardens on Quatre's estate. Knowing that being surrounded by nature would help to calm him, WuFei looked around for a good place to sit, finally choosing a grassy, well shaded spot under an old aspen tree.

Settling down under the tree, the Shenlong pilot assumed a simple cross-legged meditation position. Taking slow, deep, rhythmic breaths, he began to think.

"You, WuFei, are a weakling. Not Duo, but you. It is dishonorable and a great injustice to insult a comrade in such a manner when they have done nothing wrong, and you are truly mad at yourself," he told himself harshly.

"Things were fine before you disturbed the balance. You know that you don't usually get along with Maxwell very well, but today you were doing well for a change. So why didn't you leave things alone? You know how to control your temper and your mouth, so why didn't you?" he asked, pounding a fist into the ground.

He was getting angry, and he knew it. "Take deep breaths, slow breaths. Calm yourself. Anger is useless; anger won't help you to solve your problems in this case. It will only make matters worse," WuFei coached himself.

He willed his thoughts to find a more pleasant, peaceful course to follow. It didn't really matter what, so long as it didn't get him any more upset or angry than he already. After a short while of prompting, along with several mental nudges to keep them in line, his thoughts obeyed.

"I can sew now," WuFei realized. Now that he wasn't so upset with himself, he was thinking in terms of I' rather than you.' "Interesting. I never thought that I would learn such a womanly skill."

A sudden, almost revolutionary thought hit the dark eyed young man. "Perhaps sewing isn't a skill for only women and weaklings. There will be times when it will be necessary for me to mend my clothing or other items made of cloth. There will not always be someone else there to do it for me; some day I will be on a solo mission and need to mend something. So perhaps sewing is a...useful skill? Perhaps even a strength?"

The thought struck him as almost being funny. "What will I learn next? How to dance, perhaps?" He smirked and chuckled softly to himself, quite amused. "Imagine... Me, dancing! How the others would react!"

Dancing... The very thought made him want to erupt with laughter! "Hmm... I wonder what style of dancing? I already know all the traditional Chinese dances, as clan custom dictated that I must... But ballroom dancing! Break dancing! Some strange modern style,perhaps..."

The images flashing through the boy's mind were amusing, but as they came faster and more frequently, they began to take on a strangely appealing aspect. WuFei became slightly alarmed at that.

"Enough!" he silenced his thoughts. His mind was getting carried away with itself. Meditation was supposed to help one think, but this was ludicrous! He needed to concentrate and get his mind back to a more useful subject.

"You know, if you wanted to learn how to dance, I'm sure that Duo would be more than willing to teach you," chimed a part of his mind. WuFei blinked in surprise; that had sounded almost exactly like his deceased wife, Meiran...

"Nataku..." he breathed, not sure of his sanity at the moment. This wasn't the first time that her voice had come to him and spoken, so that wasn't the surprise. The thing that disturbed him so much was that it was the first time she had said something to him without his seeking her out.

"Yes, husband, it is me... Don't be so surprised! I do have an interest in your life, even though I am no longer with you physically, and I do have the ability to speak with you whenever I wish to do so, just as long as your mind is relatively calm and clear," the familiar feminine voice remarked, its tone teasing.

"Wife! Why are you here now?" he asked, confused. This was an interesting turn of events that he had definitely not been suspecting!

"Oh, come now, WuFei!" Meiran giggled. "You know exactly why I've come; it's about that adorable braided American boy! Duo, I believe his name is."

WuFei could feel himself beginning to blush; he hadn't been expecting that either! The day had certainly been full of surprises; things couldn't possibly get any more hectic today! He doubted that he would be able to handle much more...

"You underestimate yourself, husband. You can handle a good deal more today, and it's a good thing that you can. There's more to come!"

WuFei sighed at that remark; apparently, things weren't going to be as calm as he'd wanted between missions! But then, since when had anything but his missions gone exactly as he wanted?

"Don't be so negative while I'm around, husband," Meiran scolded him playfully. "Cheer up! It's time to get down to business."

WuFei sighed; he could tell that Meiran wasn't going to let this go until he talked with her about it.

"That's right. So start talking."

"You know, you were a much more proper wife in the past," WuFei remarked, sounding slightly frustrated.

"Yes, I probably was... But I'm dead now. And since I died honorably, I think that I'm justified in acting any way I want," Meiran replied defensively, her mental voice sounding defiant and subtly amused with WuFei's frustration.

WuFei growled, but resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing he could do about his dead wife's attitude.

"What do you want me to say? There's not much to say about Duo other than that he's a fellow Gundam pilot, highly skilled and even more highly annoying."

"Well, yes, I suppose that is true..." Meiran giggled, "But how is he related to you? What connection do you share?"

"I've already mentioned that we both pilot Gundams. We are both soldiers; fighting together against a common enemy creates a strong bond unlike any other between people. As you should well know."

It seemed to WuFei that Meiran was blushing, although he couldn't be sure since he couldn't actually see her.

"Yes, I know... but I meant beyond that."

WuFei paused to think for a while. He knew that he wouldn't be able to lie to her, and they both had plenty of time, so he decided that he might as well formulate a good, relatively satisfying answer.

"He's my comrade. My companion. My... friend," he finally responded, keeping his answer honest but simple.

"Is that all he is? You're sure you're not hiding anything from me?"

"Yes... That's all we are." WuFei sounded slightly bitter. It was as if he were... jealous? Disappointed?

"You want more out of the relationship?"

"I don't know... I'm beginning to think so..."

"Then you need to work towards more. Such things rarely happen on their own, husband."

"I shouldn't bother; I should leave things as they are. I know it will never happen." The black haired pilot's statement was firm, and he sounded as though he had already given up his newfound hope. After all, how was he to compete with Heero, of all people?

"Oh... He's the pilot with the lovely cobalt eyes, isn't he? Well... Why does his presence affect this? Does Duo like him?"

"I should say so." More bitterness, and obvious undertone of jealousy. "They're lovers, after all."

A long pause. Then, "Oh... I'd never seen the two together, so I couldn't have guessed... Are you sure? That Heero boy doesn't seem like the type to take a lover; it could interfere with his mission.' And... What about that Relena girl? The one that annoys you so much? Doesn't she like him?" The tone of her voice was puzzled.

A short, bitter, barking laugh burst out of WuFei. "Relena? Just look at her, just listen to her! How could anyone choose her over Duo?" He shook his head. "And as for Heero's nothing can get in the way of my mission, all obstacles must be destroyed' attitude... I'm not sure how Duo managed to get around it, but it seems that he has, one way or another.

"Hmm... Well, don't give up hope yet, dear husband. There is still a chance that things will work out in the end. And until they do, remain a loyal friend to Duo. The poor boy deserves a few friends after all that he's been through. All of you Gundam pilots do, for that matter."

"Thank you, Meiran... But, why are you helping me in this matter? We were married. I would think that you would be jealous or upset about such thoughts on my part," WuFei said, sounding quite puzzled.

"Yes, I suppose that many women would be... But I find it quite interesting to watch you. After all, it's much more entertaining than listening to my ancestors scold me about my overly exuberant cheerfulness!"

"Stupid girl," WuFei muttered, a slight smile creeping onto his face at that comment.

"Hmmph. Seems to me that you are the stupid one today... No, no, don't get mad, I'm only telling you what you already know to be the truth. I would think that you would like to know, however, that almost an hour has passed; Duo should be calmer by now. Go find him, husband."

WuFei nodded and stood slowly. As he cleared his mind of any unnerving thoughts, he sensed Meiran's presence disappear from his head.

Stretching, the Chinese boy calmed himself, making sure that his temper wasn't going to flare up again. Then, taking a deep breath, he set off to find his American friend. 


	5. Part Four

While WuFei was off talking to his dead wife, Duo was busy gathering his sewing supplies and trying to calm himself. The braided boy had never been very successful in controlling his emotions, so he decided to let them wear themselves out.

"Stupid Duo. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he said to himself forcefully, picking up the last of his materials and heading over to the door. "I know I'm better at controlling my emotions than that, so why did I let him get to me like that? Not even Heero has made me cry like this. Not for a while, at least..."

Duo opened the door and left the room, kicking the door shut behind him. The sound when it closed was louder than he had expected, and he looked around nervously to make sure none of the other pilots were nearby.

He paused for a moment, unsure of whether he should go back to his room or find somewhere else to go.

"I don't want Heero to think that I'm weak, getting upset and crying over nothing," he mused, still sniffling even though the tears had finally stopped flowing.

Duo's relationship with Heero was relatively new, only three months old, and they were still dancing nervous circles around each other. Duo didn't want to risk doing something to make his lover think less of him.

"I don't know where else to go, though," he thought. His mind finally made up, Duo headed back to the room he was currently sharing with the Wing pilot.

Stopping in front of the bedroom door, Duo scrubbed away the tears that were still lingering on his face, then entered the room warily. He was greeted by a dark room lit only by the faint green light of Heero's laptop; the only sound was the quick, monotonous clacking of Heero typing away.

"Hey, Hee-chan..." Duo said hesitantly, walking in and placing his burden on his side of the bed. He stood there, nervously waiting for a response.

"Where have you been?" Heero asked after a few moments. Duo was surprised when he hit the enter key, waited a few seconds, then closed his laptop. Heero stood up from his seat at the computer desk in the corner of the room, stretched, and walked slowly over to Duo.

"I went out to town," Duo replied shortly. He didn't want to tell Heero all that had happened; he wasn't sure how he'd react.

Heero stared at Duo, a strange, thoughtful look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked finally, stepping closer to the braided boy.

"Nothing," Duo replied, meeting Heero's gaze. He looked away after only a few seconds, squirming nervously.

Heero glared icily at his lover. "Don't lie to me," he growled, grabbing Duo's shoulders tightly.

"I'm not lying..." Duo began innocently, looking up hesitantly. "Nothing's wrong now. I'm fine. Honestly." It was the truth. Technically, nothing was wrong at that moment. Things had gone wrong a while ago, and they would go wrong again soon, but at that exact second, nothing was wrong. Hard logic for most to follow, but Duo was getting along just fine with his way of thinking.

A concerned look appeared on Heero's face. "What happened, koibito?" he asked gently, ready to go out and destroy who or what ever had caused his lover to get upset.

"Nothing, really... It was my fault, actually. I was being stupid."

"Don't call yourself that!" Heero protested, shaking his friend gently. "Don't ever put yourself down like that!"

Duo looked surprised. "H-Heero..." he stammered, his eyes widening. He hadn't expected such an outburst over something like that, especially not from Heero!

"Don't, Duo. Just don't," Heero whispered, a fierce, protective look glinting in his eyes. Duo gulped nervously.

"O-Okay, Heero..." he said. Heero was scaring him; this wasn't like him. Not that Duo was complaining; truth be told, he rather liked this change... But it was disconcerting all the same.

"Now, what's wrong?" Heero prompted again; apparently he wasn't going to give up until he got an answer and accomplished his mission'.

Duo sighed, then threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay, I give. I'll tell you." Heero looked quite satisfied.

Duo related the story of the little girl and her doll; he was surprised to see what could have been a tear appear in Heero's eye as he spoke. Soon he got to the part with WuFei; controlling his emotions was still hard as he recounted the argument.

"Kisama..." Heero growled, his fists clenching and his eyes lighting up possessively. Duo was elated that Heero seemed to care about him so much, but the look in Heero's eyes also made him worry for WuFei's health.

"Heero, it's okay. Just let it go. I think that WuFei really does feel guilty," Duo protested, gently holding the Japanese pilot back with one hand.

Heero growled in frustration but allowed himself to be calmed. Even still, if WuFei would have walked in at that moment, he would have been a dead man. So far as Heero was concerned, nobody could get away with upsetting his Duo.

"Are you okay now?" the Wing pilot asked finally, staring worriedly at his lover. Duo nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. I don't know why I got so upset. If I were a woman, I'd say it was PMS!" he replied, half-joking, half-serious.

"That's good. But... You look tired. You should get some sleep."

"Sleep sounds really good, but what about the doll clothes? I have to finish them and give them to that little girl." Duo looked at the bed longingly.

"I'll finish them for you and wake you when I'm done."

"You can sew? Really?" It shouldn't have surprised him, but it did.

"Yes. Now sleep for a while."

"But I'm not tired!"

"You're emotionally drained. You need the rest. Go to sleep."

"But Heero, I'm not tired!"

"That doesn't matter. Sleep."

"Okay, Heero, whatever you want," Duo giggled. Heero raised one eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing..." Another burst of giggles. "It's just that you've talked more in the past thirty minutes than you did in the first year I knew you!" His voice was strained, as though he were fighting off a bout of hysteria

"Hn." His scowl was real; he didn't want Duo to lapse into another panic attack, even a minor one.

Duo managed to stop giggling for a few moments as he kicked off his shoes, took off his cap, and pulled off his shirt. Then the laughter came back in full force.

"Poor Relena-sama... She'd be so jealous!" the American pilot crowed.

A true smile broke onto Heero's face at that. After all, Relena-torture was a subject that never failed to cheer Heero up. The Japanese boy chuckled and shook his head, confident that Duo would be okay

"Yes, Duo, I'm sure she would be. Now go to sleep!" He pushed the other boy onto the bed and covered him with a blanket. Still smiling slightly, he sat down next to him, picked up thread, needle, and material, and began to sew.

Duo smiled contentedly and burrowed further under the covers as he watched his love set to his task. "He's so good to me," he thought. "I'm lucky to have him."

Slowly, the American pilot felt himself being swept into sleep's embrace, despite his protests of not being tired. Perhaps he had been wrong on that account after all. Chalk up another point for Heero... 


	6. Part Five

WuFei walked quietly through the halls of Quatre's estate, contemplating the strange occurrence that had taken place in the garden only a short while ago.  
  
At first, he had thought that Meiran had meant to go find Duo right then, but on further examination he had decided that she had probably just meant sometime in the future. After all, Duo was probably with Heero at this time; WuFei wasn't stupid enough to risk that. He was certain that Heero would almost certainly be furious with him, and he knew from first-hand experience that an angry Heero was even more dangerous than usual, and Heero truly upset was nothing short of a death wish.  
  
"I suppose it's just as well... I'm sure Heero will take care of it. Even though he doesn't really let it show, I think he really does love Duo." WuFei thought to himself, sighing.  
  
"I don't stand a chance against Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier. He's too... perfect." The Chinese boy lamented woefully.  
  
After a few moments more of walking aimlessly, WuFei found himself outside of a door. Not really thinking, he began to open it slowly. Once it was open only a crack, he knew instantly that he'd opened the wrong door.  
  
The inside of the room was lit only by a small bedside lamp, so when WuFei opened the door even that tiny amount, the light let in was quite noticeable. The illumination directly lit the area of the bed, drawing WuFei's attention there almost immediately. He regretted that almost as soon as his gaze focused there.  
  
Laying on one side of the bed was Duo. The American pilot was quite obviously sleeping. Sitting next to him was Heero, was just as obviously not sleeping. He had a needle and thread in one hand, material in his other hand; he was sewing.  
  
Before WuFei even had a chance to blink or process what he saw, Heero was off of the bed and pointing a gun at his face. WuFei was nervous, to say the very least.  
  
"Omae o korosu." Heero said coldly, his eyes revealing his anger even though his voice didn't. He was quiet despite his anger, probably because he wanted to avoid waking the American pilot.  
  
"Gomen nasaii, Heero... I wasn't paying attention and opened the wrong door." WuFei apologized quickly, bowing deeply.  
  
"You hurt him." Heero growled, taking a step forward. WuFei backed up into the hall; Heero followed the young man out and closed the door behind himself.  
  
"I realize that now, Yuy. I meant to apologize to him as soon as I thought he had calmed himself some. I walked into your room due to a severe lack of concentration or coherence. Forgive me, please."  
  
Piercing, unblinking cobalt blue eyes focused on WuFei, boring down straight to his soul, or so it seemed. For a few moments, the Chinese boy wondered if he was going to be shot; a highly realistic expectation, considering the mental state of the gun-wielding boy standing in front of him.  
  
"I'll give him your apologies when he wakes up." Heero finally said. WuFei stared at him, half surprised that he was still breathing.  
  
"Th-thank you, Yuy."  
  
Heero nodded, and WuFei turned to go to his own room. He stopped as a thought struck his mind.  
  
"The doll clothes, for the little girl?"  
  
"I'm finishing them. They'll be ready by the time Duo wants to give them to her."  
  
"Thank you. He would be even less happy if they weren't ready, and I've already been the cause of more than enough stress to Duo today."  
  
With that, WuFei walked down to his own room and took refuge in it. Heero watched him as he went, his expression calculating and thoughtful, then went back into his own bedroom and continued to sew.  
  
Duo slept soundly through the entire conversation, blissfully unaware that it had even taken place. 


	7. Part Six

An hour or two later, Duo slowly began to wake up. He sat up in bed and stretched, yawning, then looked around and took in his surroundings. He was still in his bed, and Heero was still sitting next to him. The Japanese boy was no longer sewing, however, and neither the materials nor the doll clothes were anywhere in sight. What had happened to them, then?  
  
"Hey, Heero. You done with the doll clothes, or did you just get tired of sewing?" he asked, stretching out his legs as well.  
  
"The clothes are finished. I put them in a bag in the corner."  
  
"Thanks, Hee-chan."  
  
"Hn. You're welcome."  
  
"Did it take you the entire time I was asleep to finish the doll clothes?"  
  
"I finished close to fifteen minutes ago."  
  
"Oh, well, I guess I'd better get straightened up a little before I go find that little girl and give her these doll clothes."  
  
"I'll go with you. But first, I have a message to deliver to you. WuFei sends his apologies about earlier. I believe he is sincere."  
  
A flurry of various emotions flickered across Duo's face. He didn't know if he should be happy, sad, angry, grateful, or what. He did know, however, that the fact that WuFei really did feel bad about hurting him, and braved facing a potentially crazed and homicidal Heero ready for revenge just to let him know so, made him feel warm inside.  
  
"Really? Well, yeah, maybe I overreacted... I should go talk to him when we get back, ya know?" To his even greater surprise, Heero nodded and opened his mouth to reply.  
  
"That... would be best, I think." He said shortly. "Now, get ready to leave. We should be taking the clothes to the little girl."  
  
* * *  
  
Ten minutes later, Duo hopped out of the shower, wrapped one towel around his waist and one around the majority of his hair, then darted out into the bedroom. "Clothes!" he exclaimed, holding out one hand. Heero threw boxers, a pair of pants, and a shirt at him. "Thanks."  
  
Duo put his shirt on first, then his boxers. As he was struggling to get into his pants, Heero was brushing his hair in a quick, efficient manner. From the way they worked together, it was obvious that this was a typical way of getting Duo dressed.  
  
Once all his clothes were on, Duo went in search of his shoes. "Closet, Duo." Heero said, beginning to part the other boy's hair.  
  
"Oh. Well, why are they there?" came the reply. They hobbled over to the closet together, and as Duo slid into the shoes, Heero began braiding his hair.  
  
By the time Duo had grabbed the bag and started heading out of the room, Heero was half done. As they were heading out the front door of the safe-house, Heero was just tying off the end of the braid.  
  
"So, how long did we take this time?" Duo asked as he got behind Heero on the black and acid green motorcycle parked just outside the house. He made sure that the bag was clutched firmly in his hands, and sandwiched between Hero and himself.  
  
Heero glanced at his watch. "Eight minutes, fifteen seconds." He replied.  
  
"Hey, that's great! We beat our old record by a good twenty seconds!" Duo crowed, a huge grin. "Hey, hey... How about celebrating by taking me out for ice-cream?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"But Heeerooo..."  
  
"I sewed for you. That's enough for today. Don't push your luck."  
  
"But, Heero..." Duo whined. "I want ice-cream!"  
  
"You're beginning to sound like Relena." Heero said warningly, glaring at Duo over his shoulder as he started up the motorcycle.  
  
"Eep... I think I'll shut up now."  
  
"Wise choice."  
  
They were a good mile away from the safe-house when Duo decided to speak up again. "After all, we can always go out for ice-cream tomorrow."  
  
"... Baka." 


	8. Part Seven

An hour and a half later, Duo finally managed to drag Heero back to the safe-house. Much to his (and, for that matter, Heero's) surprise, the little girl had been extremely fond of the Japanese boy. She was just as happy playing with him as she had been with Duo.  
  
"You're both very pretty." She had told them with a bright smile, just before they had given her the bag of doll clothes. After receiving her gifts, she had squealed happily and given them both big hugs and a wide, happy grin.  
  
As soon as she'd dumped out all the clothing, the child had modeled each outfit on her doll. Duo had given enthusiastic cheers, even a catcall or two; Heero eventually broke down and cracked a small smile.  
  
When Heero had decided it was time for Duo and him to leave, the girl had protested quite vehemently; she started crying loudly, and abandoned her doll to throw her arms around the legs of the two Gundam pilots. The move brought tears to Duo's eyes, as he knew exactly how the small child felt. Heero hadn't known what to do.  
  
After much deliberation, the two decided to give the little girl a small amount of money to tide her over, and visit her again the next time such an act was feasible. Duo had wanted to take the child with them despite Heero's argument that she would be an unnecessary risk to their missions. The American pilot had consented to leave her behind only when Heero switched tactics and, with an almost sad look in his eyes, told Duo in a frank manner that the child would most likely end up injured or killed if she remained with them. Even he had to admit to the truth of the statement.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Duo asked once he and Heero were back inside the safe-house. It was quiet, save for the faint sound of a piano being played somewhere in the house.  
  
Heero shrugged slightly. "Whatever." came his simple reply. He wasn't picky as far as occupying his 'free time' went, so long as Duo was involved, and Relena wasn't.  
  
Not sure whether to laugh, sight, or just shake his head, the violet eyed pilot compromised and did all three. "Let's just go back up to our room and hang out, then." He suggested. Heero nodded and followed his lover to the bedroom they shared.  
  
* * *  
  
They'd been home for less than an hour, and none of the time had been productive. After twenty minutes of putting up with Duo's random fit of moping, Heero was beginning to get fed up. He had grown used to his companion's seemingly never-ending source of energy and almost nonstop chatter, but silence from him still bothered the cobalt eyed young man.  
  
"What's wrong, Duo?" he finally snapped. "If you're still upset about what happened with WuFei, then go talk to him." Heero surprised both himself and Duo with the sudden outburst.  
  
Duo turned his head and stared. "Heero?" he asked, slightly confused.  
  
"Go ahead, Duo. It'll bother you the rest of the day if you don't."  
  
A little smile appeared on the long haired boy's face. "You're right. Thanks, Hee-chan." He leaned over and gave him a quick, gentle kiss. "I'll be back in a few."  
  
Heero watched his lover exit the room, an almost anxious feeling rising up in his chest. He scowled, berating himself mentally. What was he so worried about? 


End file.
